It’s that time of year when we open our wallets to get our loved ones some gifts for the holidays. While I’m sure you have specific items in mind, there are probably some of you who don’t have a clue as to the type of technology or gadget gifts to give this holiday season. Well, have no fear! Over the past year (well, over the past decade for that matter), I have been reviewing gadgets, consumer electronics, and other items on HighTechDad.com. It’s always better to learn more about a particular product before you give it as a gift. So, I present you with the HighTechDad 2018 Holiday Tech Gift Guide of 25+ Reviewed Products. (*Disclosure below.)

What you will find in this HighTechDad Holiday Tech Gift Guide are short descriptions of a variety of products that I have reviewed over 2018 and links to the more comprehensive reviews on my site. Do note, I have done other Holiday Gift Guides for previous years and there are a LOT of great gadgets and tech gifts out there for the high tech dad, mom, son, daughter, grandparent, friend, coworker, or anyone. Here are a few of my past Gift Guides (remember, older tech is probably quite good still and could be more discounted in price):Read More

The HighTechDad 2018 Holiday Tech Gift Guide of 25+ Reviewed Products was last modified: November 13th, 2018 by Michael Sheehan

The HighTechDad 2018 Holiday Tech Gift Guide of 25+ Reviewed Products was last modified: November 13th, 2018 by Michael Sheehan

With the holidays upon us, it’s fairly common for media to get invited to shows where vendors push their latest and greatest technology in hopes of receiving coverage which in turn gets that momentary attention of frazzled holiday shoppers. I recently attended the PepCom Holiday Spectacular 2018 show which was packed with all sorts of gadgets, services, and other tech goodies worthy of commentary. But I decided to approach this tech media show a bit differently. I wanted to give out some awards based on what I saw and experienced. (*Disclosure below.)

My process was pretty simple…and extremely selfish. There was tech I was interested in, and some that I wasn’t. There were companies that I know, and many that I didn’t. So, what I decided to do, as I searched for those tech diamonds in the rough at the PepCom show, was to walk the floor without talking to anyone, and then only stop at the ones that really grabbed me (not physically of course). And there were over 35 tech companies to choose from.

It takes a lot for my daughters to be impressed by technology. There is a lot of tech that flows in (and out) of our home. Much of it they seem to just not care about. But the Xiaomi PHILIPS ZhiRui Smart Bedside Lamp seems to be one of the exceptions. So much so, that they actually requested that it be in their room so that they could use it. This kind of testimonial coming from two teenaged girls is one to pay attention to because it truly doesn’t happen very often. (*Disclosure below.)

Having the proper lighting in your room can transform the area from a place where you just are physically there to a place that you are connected to and feel comfortable in. There is nothing worse than a poorly or over-lit room. It’s important to find that perfect lighting balance. And you have to remember that lighting scenes can change depending on a variety of factors, your mood, the time of day, and if you have people with your or not. This is why the Xiaomi bedside lamp is a great choice. You have the ability to not only manage the brightness, but also the color.

According to neuroscientists from Western University’s Brain and Mind Institute, 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night is the optimal amount for cognitive performance. These are the findings of the world’s largest sleep study where over 40,000 participants from around the world were part of this online scientific investigation. So that’s great, right? We now have confirmation that you probably need to get more sleep than you are actually getting. And while I’m not a neuroscientist, nor do any of my recommendations in this article have any scientific backing, I’m pretty good at getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. It’s not always deep, nor restful, but I definitely don’t feel sleep deprived (too much). I thought that I would offer some tips on ways to get a better sleep, one of them starting with getting some new bedsheets, like from California Design Den. (*Disclosure below.)

We spend much of our lives sleeping. If you take that 7-8 hour recommendation, that’s almost one-third of your life. That’s a lot of time just lying around…literally. So wouldn’t it make sense to devote some time to ensure that you are optimizing your sleep? For some people, this is easier said than done. I remember when I had young kids. Getting them to go to bed was always a chore. Getting them to stay in bed, sometimes even harder. And, as a young parent, your regular sleep patterns are often disrupted. Babies, toddlers, and little kids are often a huge disruptor to getting a better sleep. (But I’m NOT going to make a recommendation of NOT having kids…that’s just silly.)

I have had the pleasure of using the Apple Watch for several years. It started with the original (the Generation 1) which I actually still use as my sleep tracker and alarm clock (while my other Apple Watch gathers strength in the charger for its day ahead). I did not test the Series 1 nor the Series 2 (Generation 2) but instead jumped to the Series 3 (WiFi and Cellular) last year when it came out. And now, I have my hands on the Apple Watch Series 4, or rather it’s on my wrist. I’ve only been using the Series 4 (with WiFi and Cellular) for a week now. And I have already notice eight things that I felt compelled to write about.

Overall, I feel the Apple Watch Series 4 is a beautiful design and technological step forward, some of which I will get into in this article. Before getting the Series 4, I reached out on Twitter to find out people’s thoughts about what was announced on the features and functionality, and whether or not they would upgrade or get a new one altogether. For me, the biggest question was the “next version” upgrade – from a Series 3 to Series 4 (or iPhone X to iPhone XS/XS Max).

My initial thoughts, prior to testing the Apple Watch Series 4, was that if you were moving from a Generation 1 or Series 1 or a Series 2, the upgrade was a no-brainer. The technology and design have dramatically improved. And you can’t even use WatchOS 5 on the Generation 1 which is a shame as there are some nice, new features in WatchOS 5.Read More

After 8 Days Using the Apple Watch Series 4, These are My Top 8 Observations was last modified: October 16th, 2018 by Michael Sheehan

After 8 Days Using the Apple Watch Series 4, These are My Top 8 Observations was last modified: October 16th, 2018 by Michael Sheehan

I currently am a Senior Manager of Content Marketing within the Solutions Marketing group at Riverbed. I previously worked at HP as a Senior eCommerce Content Marketing Manager and at Intel Corp as a Brand Journalist and Social Media Strategist. All of content on this site is my opinion and not of any employer or company unless otherwise noted. See my About page for more details.